Friday Flash NM!

SkillsUSA NM Updates 12/11/15

Friday Flash NM!

SkillsUSA NM Updates 12/11/15

National meeting for state directors

November 30th-December 3rd, SkillsUSA state directors met for educational resource training. The PowerPoint from Rich Katt is on our SkillsUSA NM Facebook page. A major emphasis was to embrace the Framework and its educational resources as integral to your CTE course and not as "co-curricular."

If we believe that SkillsUSA impacts the lives of America's future workforce through the development of personal, workplace, and technical skills grounded in academics, we were urged to walk that walk. These skills aren't for the select few students who compete at state and national levels, but for all students, in all SkillsUSA CTE courses.

What might that look like?

-Display the Framework in your classroom and campus

-Refer to it and let students/educators know the importance of these essential skills

-Use the Career Readiness Curriculum (free with professional membership)

CRC=29 Lesson Plans!

Lowe’s Grants Updates....

Lowe’s continues a seventh year of generosity with another round of SkillsUSA grants in 2016. Grant information and the application are now available on the SkillsUSA website at: www.skillsusa.org/membership-resources/grants/lowes/. The guidelines and focus of the grant program are changed slightly from years past. The deadline for grant applications is Dec. 20 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Late applications will not be accepted. Please review the grant guidelines to be sure that applications are properly completed and submitted.

Chapter Excellence Program Best Practices Highlight Holiday Shopping Spree (shared by National SkillsUSA...and featuring one of our very own NM chapters)

Compassion and leadership; a unique combination that works for SkillsUSA members at Hobbs (N.M.) High School. To support underprivileged youth in the community, chapter members accompanied children on a Kmart shopping spree sponsored by the Eagles Lodge in Hobbs. Twenty-five members participated, each accompanying two to three excited children (ages 12 and under) as they shopped with a budget of $100 per child. Calculators and shopping advice were on hand for nearly two hours while children cheerfully picked out clothes, shoes and gifts for themselves and their family.

“Seeing the look on the children’s faces is something I will always remember,” says SkillsUSA member Jordan Dossey. “I was really impressed by the professionalism of my fellow members and the self-motivation before and during the event, and in the evaluation of this activity.” He added, “We got more out of this project than we anticipated. For example, we learned leadership and responsibility that led to other areas of personal growth. Applying the [SkillsUSA] framework brings out the best in students, and in this case, had very positive results for the community.”

According to advisor Paula Mayes, “Implementing the framework for this project all started with the chapter officers taking the lead and doing the behind-the-scenes work. They led discussions with the chapter about goals, different responsibilities and the impact on others. They met regularly and engaged the rest of the chapter along the way. I was really impressed by how the older members mentored younger members. It set a good example and gave students ownership of the activity.”

Hobbs members demonstrated their ability to crunch numbers, stretching every dollar, and act as positive role models and mentors during this inspiring community event. The president of the Eagles Lodge commended the students for making the event so successful, and these SkillsUSA members were grateful for the opportunity to serve the community. The SkillsUSA Framework skills of integrity, professionalism and self-motivation stood out as students assumed various leadership roles, outlined expectations and showed maturity in making the event a success.

“For me, this project was all about personal and team integrity. I always knew helping in the community was important, but never knew where to start,” says SkillsUSA member Gabriela Contreras. “Participating in the shopping spree helped all of us realize how we’re applying skills while making an impact on others. This activity is just one example of how SkillsUSA has empowered me to make great decisions. It has changed my life.”

FREE! Propel Activity

Propel is SkillsUSA’s educational resource that features engaging activities for meetings, workshops and conferences. Propel is a best seller among advisors everywhere, who now can to try one of the activities for free! Below is an activity entitled “Stack It Up” from Page 27 of Propel — if you like it, then collect all 35 activities by purchasing this resource for only $9.95 at www.skillsusa.org/store/propel.html.

Stack It Up

Size of group: Small

Level of activity: Medium

Use: Meetings and workshops

Space: Small space needed

Materials needed: 36 plastic cups

Description:

· This is a competitive group game

· When the clock starts, players stack cups into a pyramid shape

· When the pyramid is complete with the last cup at the top, the player proceeds to take down the pyramid and put the cups back into a single stack

· The player must build the pyramid using all of the cups, and then put the cups back into a single stack within a 60-second time limit